988 wanted ICG to make a big splash to de-stigmatize mental illness during the local Superbowl airing. Macy Muirhead and I were tasked to come up with a campaign concept that could stand across multiple platforms and media. In a general sense, we approached 988 concepts with humor and lightness. In certain scenarios, it was the key to de-stigmatizing mental illness. We wanted to play off of the idea that Superbowl commercials are always selling happiness in one form or another, so Macy landed on the campaign concept of “Fake Happy.” She wrote a commercial that would cycle through stereotypical TV spots, but with an ironic dialogue, bringing attention to the mental health crisis in our state. I followed up with art direction, and a visual style that would take 988’s current branding, but I wanted to create a more dystopian supermarket feel – bright colors, starbursts, etc., to reflect the juxtaposition of the concept itself.

“Fake Happy” included a social media campaign, a microsite, TV spots, etc. Below, I feature the spot and the website for a sense of the general art direction of the project.

Below is the :30 spot, starred in, and directed by Paul Scheer, and Co-Directed by Jeremy Nachbar. Shot by RYB Los Angeles with help from Sound Diner, Versus Creative Studio, Company 3, and Brian Smaller.